RPC Meeting

Meeting was held in Stranraer on the 18th and 19th of May at the North West Castle Hotel.

Stena's route director Alan Gordon said that the move to Cairnryan might
occur at end-2006, but he predicted that with shorter journey times and more
journey opportunities there would be a long-term future for rail and sail in
the growing market for travel between Northern Ireland and Scotland, which
would in future involve a bus transfer between Cairnryan and the train at
Girvan, Stranraer or a station between those points.

ScotRail Operations Director Steve Banaghan said that transferring ferry
passengers to Girvan could be the best option. There would be an opportunity
as well as a threat presented by the ferry being moved since if the
timetable was no longer driven by ferry times, it could potentially be a
positive thing for the line. However Chris Ballance MSP claimed that it was
"remarkably perverse logic" to take half the passengers off the train at
Girvan, and James King of the RPC also expressed concern that ferry
passengers might be reluctant to transfer between trains and buses.

John Nelson for Dumfries and Galloway Council said that their top rail
aspiration was for a relocated station at either Cairnryan Road or the old
Town site where it could better serve the people of Stranraer.